He had been staying at Insignia Personal Care Home, a facility that caters to Alzheimer's and dementia patients.

“He has his good days and not so good days,’’ his wife, Leslie, told the Free Press last month. “Some days he’s very happy and talks to everybody. Then some days he’s just very tired. You never know. … He’s doing pretty well. He’s in a really good place. He was starting to get really bad at home, and I couldn’t take care of him anymore because he was falling.”

Former Detroit Piston Isiah Thomas, former Pistons general manager Jack McCloskey, former NBA commissioner David Stern and former Piston Earl Cureton share a laugh during the 'Bad Boys Unite' charity event in March 2014 at the Westin Book Cadillac in Detroit. The event happened the day before the 25-year 'Bad Boys' reunion at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons scout Will Robinson, center, gets a hug from Pistons owner Bill Davidson at the conclusion of half time ceromonies of the Atlanta Hawks game honoring Robinson at The Palace in Auburn Hills in 2004. Left is ex-Pistons GM Jack McCloskey.
Julian H. Gonzalez, Detroit Free Press

McCloskey, nicknamed “Trader Jack,” assembled the Pistons’ teams that made nine straight playoff appearances (1984-92), five straight trips to the Eastern Conference Finals, three NBA Finals appearances and those two championships. He was honored by the club on March 29, 2008 with a retirement ceremony where his name was raised to the Palace rafters.

McCloskey selected a pair of future Hall of Famers in the first round with Isiah Thomas (1981) and Joe Dumars (1985). In 1986, he selected Georgia Tech’s John Salley in the first round with the 11th overall pick and then selected Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman from Southeast Oklahoma State with the 27th pick in the second round.

He traded for Bill Laimbeer and Vinnie Johnson, both of whom have had their jerseys retired by the franchise.

Dick Enberg, the longtime sports network TV broadcaster who was born in Mt. Clemens and raised in Armada, died on Dec. 21 in San Diego at age 82. He graduated from Central Michigan before going on to be one of the soundtrack voices of sports.
Lenny Ignelzi, AP

Connie Hawkins was a Basketball Hall of Famer who played in the ABA, NBA and Harlem Globetrotters. The 6-foot-8 Hawkins was a dazzling playground legend in New York City who rose to great heights with his combination of size, grace and athleticism. He died Oct. 6 at 75 years old.
David Smith, AP

Frank Broyles, who coached Arkansas football for 18 seasons, won 144 games and the 1964 national championship, died on on Aug. 14 at the age of 92 from complications from Alzheimer's disease.
Ferd Kaufman, AP

Don Baylor was the 1979 AL MVP with the California Angels and went on to become manager of the year with the Colorado Rockies in 1995. He died Aug. 7 at 68 years old after a long battle with cancer.
Alex Gallardo, AP

Former major league catcher Darren Daulton, who played in the World Series with the Phillies and won a World Series with Marlins in 1997, died on Aug. 6 after a bout with brain cancer. He was 55.
Chris Szagola, AP

Former Michigan State All-America defensive lineman Frank Kush, who went on to coach Arizona State for 21 years and coach the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts in the 80s, died on June 22 at age 88.
Michael Chow, AP

Argentine golf great Roberto de Vicenze died June 1 at 94 years old. He broke his hip in May. He outlasted Jack Nicklaus to win the 1967 British Open for his only major. He is also known for his infamous blunder in the '68 Masters, when he inadvertently signed for a higher score. Instead of a playoff, Bob Goalby was the winner.
AP file

Former Tigers pitcher Jim Bunning, who tossed a no-hitter in both the AL (1958 for Detroit) and NL before becoming a U.S. Senator out of Kentucky, died on May 26 after complications from a stroke. He was 85.
Dick Tripp, DFP

Detroit Lions linebacker/kicker Wayne Walker died May 19, 2017 at 80 years old. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2007, and in 2015, announced he was suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
DFP file photo

“When you think about the Bad Boys you’re going to think about the Jack McCloskey era,’’ Former Piston and Detroit native Earl Cureton told the Free Press. “He came right when I came out of school (Detroit Mercy). He had an ability of putting team’s together and making the right moves.

“When I got here in 1983-84 we were a playoff team. We had a foundation. We had the right parts. He made great moves in bringing in Mahorn and drafting Salley and Rodman. He brought in (James Edwards) and Laimbeer and that created a championship team. Bringing in Vinnie was also huge. That was another key piece.”

McCloskey hired another future Hall of Famer - Chuck Daly in 1983. As head coach of the Pistons, Daly holds the franchise records for regular season victories (467) and playoff victories (71).

He also acquired Rick Mahorn, the power forward who helped set the tone for the Bad Boys and now is a Pistons radio analyst.

“He was responsible for bringing me here,” Mahorn told the Free Press last month. “Jack knew how to put teams together. He was a great judge of talent and then Chuck was able to mold that talent into a championship team.’’